Publication Spotlight: Taylor Czerwinski of 9 to 5 Magazine
ALLOWING THEMSELF TO EXPLORE A NEW AVENUE FILLED WITH CREATIVITY - Taylor Czerwinski has found a community rooted in meaningful art and longetivty through 9 to 5 Magazine. Founded in 2017 to support artists like herself, Czerwisnki created a way to combine photography and journalism to document the making of art. Rooted in a passion for supporting the creative community and pushing people to pursue their passion, 9 to 5 is fostering a key aspect of supports for creative across the board. Though taking on the of the Executive Director of the magazine, Czerwinski remains an active artist and creative herself and has created and curated the “backyard sessions” series for the magazine.
9 to 5 recently curated Femme Fest, a festival celebrating women & non-binary) musicians organized, performed and produced by women and plans to continue to create and curate space for artists. Whether it be through their magazine, merchandise, events or other online content, Czerwinski and 9 to 5 Magazine play an important role in the growth of this lovely creative community. Read below to learn more from Czerwinski on all things 9 to 5 and support all of their upcoming endeavors.
LUNA: 9 to 5 was created in 2017 with the intent to focus on music and art. What inspired you to start the magazine to begin with?
CZERWINSKI: To be totally honest - frustration!!! At the time, I was a passionate artist and music photographer without an outlet in my community to share my work. I found myself alongside many other photographers working through the same struggles with the realization of social media being a fleeting place to share your art; I felt the call. And so, I answered to do something about the lack of archiving of great artistry that’s currently being robbed through 24 hour long stories and Instagram posts that most people simply miss. I wanted to create a sense of community and celebration. Print media creates a sense of achievement I wanted myself and others to feel and hold onto.
LUNA: How do you think being based in Charleston has impacted your creative interests?
CZERWINSKI: Charleston is a booming, collaborative renaissance city. So much talent lives and breathes here. It’s hard not to be inspired on any given day and want to take pictures as a form of appreciation of it all. But, for me, it ultimately creates the drive to make art in whatever form that may be: music, photography, painting, songwriting, design, etc. Charleston is an encouraging place. It’s even impacted me to record my own original music - I’m currently working on my first album with Babe Club who are some of the most talented people and one of my favorite bands in town.
LUNA: Your audience has played a crucial role in your development and feel of your content - what do you look for in submissions?
CZERWINSKI: We look for passion and entrepreneurial drive. We look for real stories. We look for those who want to be part of the stance we are making: The mission to make your creative passion your 9 to 5 (maybe while working another job to support your passion); To see that it is possible with encouragement and some help from your community to support you and we want to be that platform to help recognize that effort.
Anastasia By Taylor Czerwinski (Backyard Sessions)
LUNA: In addition to the magazine you partner with Ohm Radio 96.3 which is so tight! How did this collaboration come about?
CZERWINSKI: Ohm Radio is one of my favorite eclectic local radio stations - and they’re a non-profit which is super cool! We wanted to start a podcast so I reached out to Ohm in hopes of recording on our own, but instead they offered us a weekly segment where we interviewed local musicians from 4-5pm every Tuesday. Musicians had the chance to play a few songs over the air to listeners during the interview. You can find the archives on our website at 9to5magazine.com/podcast.
LUNA: Can you share a favorite moment/memory from the creative process of your last issue of the magazine?
CZERWINSKI: There have been so many cool moments collaborating with artists over the years. But, specifically with issue 10 we were working through quarantine and as the lead photographer, it was hard to figure out a way to safely photograph people.
I decided to create what I call the “ backyard sessions” and photograph artists and people generally at my home or their home. It’s created a more intimate approach to getting to know someone on more comfortable turf. I’ve gotten to know the artist even more by having them sit for a portrait during the height of the pandemic. We connected on not knowing the future and how we all feel alone sometimes. I’ve found the studio style setting creates a sense of stillness that forces the insecure parts of ourselves to be spoken and released. The work also has personally been some of my strongest too :)
Judson M By Taylor Czerwinski (Backyard Session)
LUNA: What’s been the most rewarding aspect of your work so far?
CZERWINSKI: Seeing the expression of pure astonishment, joy, and pride on artists’ faces when they see their feature for the first time in print. It’s the coolest feeling that will never get old. It’s also really rewarding to see artists get inspired by the idea of quitting their 9 to 5’s to pursue their creative dream. They start believing in themselves when they can see others doing it and making it happen.
LUNA: In what ways/areas do you see 9 to 5 expanding in the upcoming year or so?
CZERWINSKI: We are truly in a place of growth right now. For the past 3 years we have done seasonal issue releases and now we are taking a step back to focus more of our online reach and engagement and work on better ways to support our artists to better serve our mission to uplift and support the working artist. We plan on creating more shows, opening our submissions to other forms of visual art (outside of photography) and highlighting and collaborating with other small businesses.
LUNA: If you could offer any advice to new publications or those wanting to start something, what would you share?
CZERWINSKI: This is a great question; one I could really spend so much time talking about as I’ve learned over the years. But, I’d like to share that if you really want to do something and that means starting something that you have no idea how to do, or questioning if it’ll work is 100% worth pursuing. No one really knows what they’re doing anyway. The most successful person you know started out sitting at the bottom of their own world. It’s important to find the people that raise you up and dismiss those that don’t. Don’t let people’s opinions and beliefs hold you back from what makes you grow into a better version of yourself.
LUNA: What do you hope 2021 brings you?
CZERWINSKI: LIVE MUSIC.
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